Weekly Report – July 14, 2023

City Council Meeting Roundup

On Tuesday, July 11^th, the City Council had its regular monthly meeting. Here are the meeting highlights.

Recommendations from the Normandy Park Economic Development Implementation Report were approved for inclusion into the City’s code. These amendments focus on rehabilitating the retail and office leasing experience/use in the city’s commercial areas.

• The Municipal Code was amended to establish guidelines for City Council members participating in meetings remotely. The Washington Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) requires that all meetings of governing bodies of public agencies be open to the public with a physical location available to the public. While an in-person option must be offered to the public, City Council members can attend remotely. The City Council approved an ordinance that allows remote participation by Councilmembers for reasons related to medical, vacations, work, or family emergencies.
• The City Council adopted a policy that will authorize certain levels of authority regarding the write-off of uncollectable accounts receivable. The City does not have many transactions that need to be written off; however, the situation occasionally occurs.
• Four accounts that have been outstanding for at least six years were approved for write-off. Efforts have been made to collect these amounts to no avail. This action will help the City stay in compliance with best practices related to fiscal management.
• The work program and operating budget of our regional partner, South King Housing and Homelessness Partners (SKHHP), was approved.
• The City Council approved an ordinance that adopted the most recent State Statutes related to drug possession/use and drug paraphernalia. In 2021, the Washington State Supreme Court made a ruling (Blake decision) that essentially threw out the drug possession law that had been on the books for the last 30 years. The legislature, in response, passed a bill that prevented cities from enacting their own legislation and required resources to be offered at least the first two times someone was arrested instead of jail while providing no method for tracking these contacts.  This law was set to expire at the end of July 2023, which would have left Washington with no drug laws.  After being unable to reach an agreement, a special session was convened, and a new law was created that once again criminalized drug possession.  Since this is a new law, the Council must adopt it into Municipal Code for its Police Officers to be able to enforce it.
• A design contract for the Walker and Sequoia Creek Culvert Project was approved. This contract is grant funded and will allow the City to complete the design work related to the Walker and Sequoia Creek Culvert replacement projects. This project is expected to be construction ready in late 2024, with construction starting in early 2025.

If you want to learn more about these items, I encourage you to watch the meeting recording.

Save the Date for National Night Out on August 1^st

Please join us on Tuesday, August 1^st, 6:00-8:00 PM at City Hall Park for the annual National Night Out celebration.  National Night Out is a national community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships. It is a great way to meet your Police Officers, City Councilmembers, and neighbors. Free pizza and family fun will be provided.  We hope to see you there!

Take the PROS Plan Survey

The City is currently working on the first component of the updated Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan; the survey! Take the survey now!

If you have any questions, please get in touch with me at aarrington@normandyparkwa.gov. Have a great week!

” Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan; the survey! Take the survey now!“